Stewart Released from Hospital

Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart was released from a hospital Thursday, three days after undergoing a third surgery on his broken right leg.

Stewart had surgery Monday to close a wound on his shin, stemming from the sprint car crash he had Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway.

Mike Arning, a spokesman for the team, said Stewart’s hospital stay was extended because of tests to determine why the wound was not healing as expected.

Arning said a tissue sample was taken and that test results weren’t known for 48 hours.

“They wanted to make sure they had the proper antibiotics, and they wanted to make sure there was no adverse reaction to the antibiotics,’’ Arning said.

Arning also said that this procedure won’t impact Stewart’s return to a NASCAR Sprint Cup car next season. Stewart is expected to be ready for next year’s Daytona 500.

Stewart’s first surgery on the leg came Aug. 6. That was a preliminary procedure to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury. The second surgery was Aug. 8 and involved inserting a metal rod inside the tibia.